Volume
Nominal (working) volume of the vessel. In fact, the largest amount of liquid that can be poured inside without problems, without filling the container “to the very cork” and without risking spilling the contents upon subsequent opening. Accordingly, the volume is indicated with a margin; most bottles and flasks allow for slightly more liquid than is nominally stated, however this is not recommended.
A capacious vessel allows you to carry more drink with you, but it takes up more space, and it will weigh (especially when filled) accordingly. Therefore, when choosing, it is worth considering the features of the planned application. In addition, certain types of flasks and bottles have their own volume requirements: for example, in classic flasks (see "Type"), the volume rarely exceeds 300 mL, and bicycle flasks hold about 600 – 700 mL, because. a larger vessel would be difficult to carry on a bike rack.
Hanging loop
The presence of a loop for hanging in the design of the vessel.
Most often, such a loop looks like a hole on the cork. Through this hole, you can pass a carabiner or rope, securing a flask / bottle on tourist / sports equipment, or hang the vessel in another way — for example, on a tree branch while parking.
Material
The main material used in the construction of the vessel.
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Plastic. An extremely popular material used in most modern flasks and bottles. Plastic is light, easy to manufacture (due to which it is inexpensive), most often elastic, which allows, if necessary, to slightly compress the container to accelerate the flow of liquid; it can be made transparent. At the same time, plastic withstands shocks much better than glass, and its fragments are not so dangerous — despite the fact that you still need to try to break the plastic container to fragments, and many vessels, even from a strong blow, are more likely to collapse than crack. All this led to the prevalence of plastic. Among its shortcomings, it is worth noting sensitivity to high temperatures — for example, a plastic bottle forgotten at a campfire can become unusable, and not all models from this material are suitable for hot drinks. In addition, plastic, especially inexpensive and low-quality plastic, can give the contents an unpleasant taste and smell. And some types of this material are incompatible with alcohol and acidic products like juices — the surface is damaged and begins to release harmful substances. So, when choosing a flask made of plastic, it does not fit to clarify its overall quality (for example, according to reviews), as well as suitability for "aggressive" liquids and warm drinks.
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Aluminium. Aluminium-based all
...oys combine light weight, strength, durability and corrosion resistance. In addition, they normally tolerate low and high temperatures, and are also, for the most part, insensitive to alcoholic beverages and acids (such as fruit juices). On the other hand, this material is noticeably more expensive than plastic, and it cannot be transparent in principle. Therefore, it is relatively rare. Also note that aluminium has a high thermal conductivity, which does not contribute to maintaining the temperature of the contents and makes it difficult to use in thermoflasks.
— Steel. According to its properties, stainless steel is in many ways similar to aluminium, however, on the one hand, it is more durable and cheaper, on the other hand, it weighs more. Therefore, it is most often used in those vessels for which aluminium is poorly suited — in particular, in thermal flasks and classic flasks (see "Type"). In the first case, the relatively low thermal conductivity plays a role; in the second — a lot of weight: classic flasks are small in size, and massiveness in this case creates the impression of strength and solidity (and most often this impression is quite justified).
— Glass. Glass is remarkable primarily for its transparency. Also, this material is completely chemically inert, suitable for any drinks and does not give them an extraneous taste or smell, and such a bottle looks and feels more solid than most plastic analogues. On the other hand, glass vessels are massive and at the same time fragile — because of this, the fall of even an empty bottle from your hands can end in failure. Therefore, this option is extremely rare, and it makes sense to choose glass containers for calm conditions with minimal risk of an "accident" — for example, for exercising in the gym when you do not plan to drink on the go.
— Polyethylene. Most often, this refers to the soft plastic film used in flexible flasks (see "Type"). Such a film is similar to plastic in almost everything, except, in fact, softness: for example, the compatibility of polyethylene with certain types of products should be specified separately, and it should not be used for hot drinks at all. Occasionally there are also hard flasks made of thick solid polyethylene — they generally do not have significant differences from plastic ones.
— Polyurethane. Another soft polymeric material, similar to the polyethylene described above, however, for a number of reasons, it is used somewhat less frequently.
— Skin. Leather is the traditional material for waterskins (see "Type") and is virtually non-existent in other types of flasks/bottles. It is quite durable and practical, while it has a beautiful appearance, and it is pleasant to the touch (especially since suede can also be used as leather). On the other hand, this material is expensive, and has no fundamental advantages over other options, except for the appearance. Therefore, leather is considered a designer, fashion option — just like the wineskins made from it.Weight
Empty container weight.
The lighter the vessel, the easier it is to carry it with you, the less excess weight you have to carry “on yourself”. On the other hand, this is of fundamental importance mainly on long trips with a lot of equipment, when “every gram counts”; and excessive lightness can adversely affect strength and reliability. Therefore, it does not always make sense to chase the smallest possible weight — especially when it comes to plastic containers, the difference between which is a matter of grams.
A separate mention in this case is the classic flasks (see "Type") — they are specially made quite weighty, because. many fans of such products consider massiveness a virtue.
